Broken Inside
by ashleyann
Summary: Not everything went back to normal after the battle of Hogwarts.


**Just a one shot for post Hogwarts. Let me know if you want more:]**

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><p>Darkened clouds high above gave no promise to prevailing sunlight but only forced a trail of saddened tears from the heavens. A sea of people cloaked in black, feeling nothing but sympathy for the lost soul, hovered near the tombstone. A remembrance to the innocence lost. One among them stood out, lingering on the edge of the crowd.<p>

Andrew Kirke shoved his hands deeper into his pockets as he attempted to block out the monotone speech delivered by the priest. His eyes penetrated the crowd before him until his brown hues found their target. The family of the deceased, seated along the freshly dug grave, huddled together for warmth and comfort.

_I should be with them…_

The thought flitted across his conscious before he angrily pushed it away. Returning his gaze to the sodden landscape before him, he knew he didn't deserve to be surrounded by those who cared for him. Another, more selfish, reason kept him on the outskirts of the grave. The sound of his mother's weeping tore through him with a new vengeance each time they fell on his ears.

A chorus of amens rippled through the mourners as the final prayer was uttered, sending the young soul peacefully into the afterlife. Andrew remained on the fringe of the crowd as they filed past the grieving family. Whispers of condolences fell on numb ears as individuals blurred past him, eager to find shelter from the rain.

As the last person retreated from the onslaught of relentless rain, Andrew made his way closer to the permanent resting place of his younger sister. A swirl of memories that he had desperately attempted to repress threatened to overcome him. Closing his eyes, he was transported back to that fateful night.

_Blood pumping, adrenaline rushing through his veins, Andrew had never felt as alive as the moment when death was so near. Death Eaters had over run the castle, and he was among the few underage students that had snuck back in to defend their home. The chaos that erupted through the once peaceful halls of Hogwarts was overwhelming as Andrew raced to keep up with Jack Slope. Weaving their way through the labyrinth of passage ways that composed Hogwarts, they were abruptly brought to a stop as two Death Eaters appeared before them. Curses flew between the duos before, Jack and Andrew gained the upper hand stupefying their opponents. With a grin on his face Jack continued to race down the hall looking for more Death Eaters to fight. Breathing heavily, Andrew peered at the bodies before him. As he reveled in the defeat of his foes, fear coursed through him at the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. Alone and fearful, Andrew spun on his heal before shouting "Avada Kedavra" at the approaching enemy. With his eyes squeezed shut, the curse flew from the end of his wand. Opening his eyes to see if his curse had hit its intended target, anguish consumed as he saw the light leave her eyes. The shock of his spell permanently etched on her face as her body slumped lifelessly to ground. Tears overflowed as he raced to her side. Taking her body into arms, he mumbled incoherently as he held his baby sister, Ella Kirke. _

Shaking his head as if to dislodge the memory, Andrew knelt to mound of dirt that now was home to his younger sister. As he laid the rose he had held during the funeral upon her tombstone, his breathing hitched as "I'm sorry," fell past his lips. Closing his eyes to the tears that threatened to expose themselves, he knew he didn't deserve to feel sad. He was responsible and all he deserved was the guilt that pressed upon his heart. Turning his head toward the building that now held his family members, fellow students, and those who had come to pay their respects to a life lost so young, he knew he would never be able to tell them the truth of what happened that night. Standing to his feet at last, he made his way back, preparing to hide behind the mask he had so perfectly constructed, letting no one in on the secret that now consumed his thoughts.

Crossing the threshold that housed those he would once run to for comfort, Andrew kept his gaze focused on the path before him. His path was leading him to a deserted table at the back of the room, his shelter. As he weaved through the bodies, muttering apologies, his gaze lifted and fell upon her. The one person that could break through the walls he so carefully constructed who happened to be the person that so desperately needed to stay away.

As if she could feel his eyes upon her, she turned towards him, and it was almost enough to make him break down in the midst of everyone. Her soft hues grazed over him and he wanted nothing more than to take her slender frame in his arms and confess everything that weighed heavy on his heart. With a soft sigh escaping past his lips, he continued forward to his destination. He knew her too well to know that she wouldn't stay away. Seating himself, his dropped his head into his head and waited for her arrival into his presence.

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><p><strong>Let me know what you think in a review! <strong>


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